# 1980–81 Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team

The 1980–81 Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team represented the University of Mississippi in the 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rebels were led by fifth-year head coach, Bob Weltlich. The Rebels played their home games at Tad Smith Coliseum in Oxford, Mississippi as members of the Southeastern Conference. This season marked the first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| December 1980* | | Central Arkansas | W 82–50 | 1–0 | Tad Smith Coliseum (2,352) Oxford, MS |
| December 3, 1980* | | at Tennessee Tech | W 59–56 | 2–0 | Eblen Center (3,800) Cookeville, TN |
| December 6, 1980* | | UAB | W 83–72 | 3–0 | Tad Smith Coliseum (3,928) Oxford, MS |
| December 10, 1980* | | at Mercer | W 70–58 | 4–0 | Porter Gym (3,145) Macon, GA |
| December 17, 1980* | | at Bowling Green | L 76–79 | 4–1 | Anderson Arena (3,249) Bowling Green, OH |
| December 19, 1980* | | vs. Jacksonville Dayton Invitational Tournament | W 59–50 | 5–1 | UD Arena (9,344) Dayton, OH |
| December 20, 1980* | | at Dayton Dayton Invitational Tournament | L 70–72 | 5–2 | UD Arena (10,021) Dayton, OH |
| December 23, 1980 | | at Georgia | L 62–70 | 5–3 (0–1) | Stegeman Coliseum (6,570) Athens, GA |
| December 30, 1980* | | Memphis State | L 64–69 | 5–4 | Tad Smith Coliseum (7,209) Oxford, MS |
| January 3, 1981 | | Auburn | W 46–45 | 6–4 (1–1) | Tad Smith Coliseum (4,016) Oxford, MS |
| January 7, 1981 | | at No. 13 Tennessee | L 68–73 | 6–5 (1–2) | Stokely Athletic Center (12,700) Knoxville, TN |
| January 10, 1981 | | Alabama | L 48–74 | 6–6 (1–3) | Tad Smith Coliseum (7,003) Oxford, MS |
| January 14, 1981 | | at No. 3 Kentucky | L 55–64 | 6–7 (1–4) | Rupp Arena (23,525) Lexington, KY |
| January 17, 1981 | | at Florida | L 71–74 | 6–8 (1–5) | O'Connell Center (6,815) Gainesville, FL |
| January 21, 1981 | | Vanderbilt | W 46–44 | 7–8 (2–5) | Tad Smith Coliseum (4,819) Oxford, MS |
| January 24, 1981 | | at Mississippi State | W 59–52 $^{OT}$ | 8–8 (3–5) | Humphrey Coliseum (7,820) Starkville, MS |
| January 28, 1981 | | No. 4 LSU | L 59–63 | 8–9 (3–6) | Tad Smith Coliseum (7,309) Oxford, MS |
| January 31, 1981 | | at Auburn | W 61–58 | 9–9 (4–6) | Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum (4,881) Auburn, AL |
| February 4, 1981 | | No. 10 Tennessee | W 71–52 | 10–9 (5–6) | Tad Smith Coliseum (7,823) Oxford, MS |
| February 7, 1981 | | at Alabama | L 49–51 | 10–10 (5–7) | Coleman Coliseum (9,236) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| February 11, 1981 | | No. 11 Kentucky | L 55–62 | 10–11 (5–8) | Tad Smith Coliseum (9,321) Oxford, MS |
| February 14, 1981 | | Florida | W 66–52 | 11–11 (6–8) | Tad Smith Coliseum (5,489) Oxford, MS |
| February 18, 1981 | | at Vanderbilt | L 50–52 | 11–12 (6–9) | Memorial Gymnasium (14,782) Nashville, TN |
| February 21, 1981 | | Mississippi State | W 72–61 | 12–12 (7–9) | Tad Smith Coliseum (8,079) Oxford, MS |
| February 25, 1981 | | at No. 2 LSU | L 67–74 | 12–13 (7–10) | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (15,694) Baton Rouge, LA |
| February 28, 1981 | | Georgia | W 64–62 | 13–13 (8–10) | Tad Smith Coliseum (6,108) Oxford, MS |
| SEC tournament ||||||
| March 5, 1981 TVS | (6) | vs. (3) No. 10 Tennessee | W 81–71 | 14–13 | Birmingham–Jefferson Civic Center (10,072) Birmingham, AL |
| March 6, 1981 TVS | (6) | vs. (7) Vanderbilt | W 71–51 | 15–13 | Birmingham–Jefferson Civic Center (10,112) Birmingham, AL |
| March 7, 1981 TVS | (6) | vs. (5) Georgia | W 66–62 | 16–13 | Birmingham–Jefferson Civic Center (9,743) Birmingham, AL |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| March 13, 1981 | (10 MW) | vs. (7 MW) Kansas | L 66–69 | 16–14 | Levitt Arena (10,666) Wichita, KS |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. ||||||
Source: